


Office Romance?

by spacemanearthgirl



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, And they're as cute as always, F/F, First Kiss, From friends to more, Kara and Lena are colleagues, Office AU, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:11:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8898817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacemanearthgirl/pseuds/spacemanearthgirl
Summary: No one can resist Kara Danvers smile, not even Lena Luthor.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd try something different for a change.

Lena likes being alone, she didn't need anyone, never has, never will. As a child, as a Luthor, she grew up with her family keeping their distance (except for Lex but that was too painful to think about now). And then she went off to boarding school and still people kept their distance, didn't want to be friends with a Luthor or if they did, there was a reason behind it.

So Lena learnt the best way to protect herself from that rejection, from that deceit, was pretending she didn't want the friendship in the first place. And it worked, she acted cold and indifferent towards everyone and no one really bothered her after that. They learnt they couldn’t gain anything from her or didn’t want to get involved with her family so they left her alone. It may be a lonely life but it worked for self preservation.

And here she is now, one of the top lawyers at Smoak Technologies, there is no problem she couldn't handle. She is great at her job and people admired her for it but that was it. People left her alone and she left people alone and that just worked best for everyone. Besides, who wants to be friends Lena Luthor anyway?

Lena is fine with that, fine with life, she got dealt a difficult hand but she’s doing the best she can with what she’s been given. She’s accepted the fact that that’s all she’s going to get out of life, a good job but a lonely existence.

But then Kara Danvers shows up, the new girl in the HR department and Lena thinks nothing of it, it’s not uncommon that people come and go through the office. Kara smiles at her, says hello when they see each other. Lena glares back, it won’t take long for this new woman to realise Lena was to be avoided, that that’s what everyone does.

Something different happens though. Every day Kara comes into the office with a big smile on her face as she greets everyone she passes. It usually doesn't take long for new people to figure out not to bother Lena unless it's work related. Kara always smiles at her though when they pass each other around the office or are in the cafeteria at the same time and every time Lena just glares back, she doesn't have time to pretend to be friends with this new girl when as soon as Kara figures out who she actually is, what she's actually like, Kara won't want to be friends with her.

xxx

It’s been a month now, a month of Kara's smiles and Lena still refuses to give her one in return. She wonders when this woman will give up, wonders if she's made a bet with the other workers to see if she can get Lena to crack. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, it wouldn't be the first time. She knows what's said about her behind her back, that she's cold, friendless, a robot who has no feelings, and while those comments hurt, Lena pushes them aside, she doesn't need that kind of distraction at work.

But the problem is, despite her fears about Kara's motivation, Lena is intrigued by the woman. For the first time in her life she thinks maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if someone did get closer to her instead of pushing them away. It's Kara's smile that does it, those eyes, she looks so genuine and happy that sometimes Lena actually has to remind herself not to smile back, not to open up to Kara in any way for fear of being rejected yet again, in case Kara does have an ulterior motive for wanting to befriend her.

"Miss Luthor?" A voice pulls Lena from her thoughts and she looks up to see the woman who has been on her mind quite a lot recently standing at her office door.

"Can I help you?" Lena asks, voice hard as she takes in Kara, her clothes bright to match her personality.

"Yes, actually. I was wondering if I could ask you a favour." Lena can tell she's nervous as she twists her fingers together, wonders how long it has taken her to gather the courage to come and speak to her. Lena takes some satisfaction in knowing that Kara is intimidated by her.

"I heard you're the best lawyer here and I have to send an email but I don't understand some of the legal stuff I have to put in it. I was wondering if you could take a look at it for me?"

Lena should say no, has her own work to be doing, and usually she would say no but she finds she can't, not when Kara is looking at her so with so much hope, "send it to me and I'll look over it and send it back soon."

Kara's smile is bright as she thanks Lena for her help. Lena just nods in reply and then Kara is gone.

The next day when Lena is eating lunch in the cafeteria (Lena always tries to eat it late so she avoids most of her colleagues) Lena is surprised when a shadow falls over her table and a cupcake appears in front of her.

Lena looks up to see a smiling Kara standing next to her, “thanks for yesterday, you really helped me out.”

Lena is too shocked to do anything but stare as Kara just smiles again before she turns and leaves.

The next time Lena sees Kara, she smiles tentatively at her and when Kara grins back, she’s sure she’s never felt quite like this before from just a simple smile.

From then on, that's all it is, a small smile whenever they see each other. And that’s a problem, because Lena can't help but think they're friends, or at least they could be. That's dangerous though, because she can feel her walls slipping down with every smile, finds it more difficult to keep them up around this woman. And she doesn't want that, she wants to keep herself protected and she can't do that if she opens herself up to someone else. But Kara, so nice, so warm, so friendly, so beautiful, Lena can't help but think that maybe Kara is worth risking opening herself up to, even if she does end up getting hurt.

xxx

Lena’s surprised one night she’s working late when she hears a tentative knock on her door, she thought she’s the last one at the office. “Kara?”

“Miss Luthor, hi, umm…” Lena can tell she’s nervous and can’t help but think it’s cute. “Well I was working late and I saw your light on and I thought you might be hungry.” Kara holds up a bag of takeout as proof of her statement.

Lena doesn’t know what to say, even if she’s thought they could potentially be friends, she never expected anything like this. She can admit though that she is hungry, and maybe she could use this as an opportunity to get to know Kara better.

She smiles and gestures Kara into her office, can see Kara visibly relax at the invitation.

"Are you planning on inviting the rest of the office for dinner?" Lena asks when she sees now much food Kara places on her desk.

Kara blushes and Lena can't help but think it's adorable, "I was hungry."

Lena laughs and Kara smiles when she realises she is joking.

“It’s Lena by the way,” Lena says as Kara sits opposite her, “if you’re buying me dinner I think you can call me by my first name too.”

Lena's surprised how easily they fall into conversation while they eat considering this is the first time they've really spoken. They don't talk about anything important, mostly about work with small details about themselves thrown in the mix, but Lena finds herself really enjoying herself.

It surprises Lena when she realises this is the most comfortable she's felt around a person in a long time.

xxx

People know not to sit with Lena at lunch so there are a few audible gasps when one day Kara, bouncing into the cafeteria, her usual cheerful self, sits down across from Lena.

Kara reaches over and plucks a chip from the open bag in front of Lena and Lena can hear the whispering of the few people who are left in the cafeteria, all probably wondering what Lena is going to do.

"Hi," Kara smiles, "I need your help."

If Kara had been watching Lena more carefully instead of stealing another chip, she would've seen Lena deflate slightly in her seat. Was that all this was? Not a new friendship but a way for Kara to always have help from someone? She thought they were becoming friends but she must've been wrong. She should've known, who would want to be friends with her anyway?

Kara speaks through a mouthful of chips, seemingly none the wiser to what's going through Lena's mind, "Winn's birthday is coming up, and I'm usually really good with gifts but I'm struggling with ideas on what to get him, any thoughts?"

Lena's surprised, “that's what you want help with?"

"Is that ok?" Kara asks and Lena can tell she’s suddenly unsure of herself.

"Of course," Lena reassures her, "I just assumed it would be work related." 

Kara looks confused for a moment so Lena quickly continues, doesn't want Kara to figure out what she's thinking, "Winn?"

Kara laughs, "the guy in IT? He's been here almost as long as you have."

Lena doesn't interact with many people in the office and she realises now she doesn't even know half of their names. "Oh."

Kara laughs again, "you're probably not the best person to ask if you don't even know who I'm talking about."

Lena smiles now too, "no, probably not."

They continue to talk easily between them and Lena can see the looks that people are giving them but she doesn't care, she just hopes that Kara doesn't care either. 

xxx

"Kara, go home, you're sick."

Lena delights in the smile that spreads across Kara’s face even though she’s clearly unwell, "am not."

"Your answer would be a lot more believable if you're voice wasn't so croaky."

Kara sneezes.

Lena laughs, "and if you hadn't just done that."

"I'm fine," Kara tries to reassure her but Lena is having none of it.

"No, you're not, you need to go home and rest." Lena knows people are staring, can hear them whispering, but she doesn't care, all that matters is her friends health. And that’s what they are now, friends, and shes going to do something she’s never been able to do before, look after a friend who is sick because she actually cares for Kara, more than she knows she should.

Kara tries to protest again but it doesn’t work, “no, I’m taking you home.”

Lena can see that Kara's about to argue more so she gives her a look and Kara deflates, knows she's not going to win.

Kara’s surprise is evident when Lena actually does what she's said and takes Kara downstairs to her car instead of calling her a cab.

"You don't have to do this," Kara tries to argue, but Lena's answer silences any other argument Kara was going to use. "We're friends Kara and I'm going to take you home and make sure you're ok."

Lena doesn’t know the usual protocol for this sort of thing, doesn’t know what’s expected of her. But what she does know when she pulls up outside Kara’s apartment building is that she can’t let her go without making sure she makes it to her actual apartment.

So Lena walks her to her door, unsure what to do when she gets there.

“Thank you,” Kara says, voice rough but her smile is genuine.

Lena smiles, “I hope you’re feeling better soon.” She pauses and is about to turn and leave when she thinks of something else, “you probably have other people you can call, but if not, call me if you need anything.”

Kara is gone for two days and Lena is worried but she’s relieved when on the third day, Kara is back at the office, her usual smiling self. Lena finds a another cupcake on her desk that afternoon and knows it’s Kara saying thank you again.

xxx

Dinner between them becomes a thing not long into their friendship, when it’s clear that they’re actually friends. Once or twice a week, Kara shows up with dinner at Lena’s office and they just sit and talk. Lena is thrilled every single time Kara appears at her door.

Around the office, they act more friendly towards each other. Well, Kara acts the same but Lena actually responds positively towards her now. Lena tries to hide her reaction to Kara but she knows she's unsuccessful when rumours begin to fly around the office. People wondered why Lena, who was so cold to everyone else, seemed to light up when she saw Kara, wondered why when she seemed to look down on everyone else she’d found an equal in Kara.

Lena doesn’t care about the rumours though, she has Kara now, her first real friend in a very long time. But unfortunately for Lena, her feelings don’t stop there. She knew it was going to happen, could feel it happening from the first moment she’d laid eyes on Kara even if she’s tried to ignore what she felt and just pretend they were friends. She couldn’t do it any longer though, her feelings for Kara certainly not just platonic any more. She’d never act on said feelings but just having them made their friendship a bit more complicated.

But that didn’t mean she still couldn’t be friends with Kara, and she wants to do something to show that their friendship wasn’t so one-sided, so Lena’s decided to buy her dinner for once instead.

Lena drops by Kara’s cubicle when she knows she’ll be at lunch, doesn’t think she’d be able to get the invitation out in person so she leaves her a note instead.

**_Dinner. My office. 7pm. L_ **

Lena’s nervous as seven pm approaches. She’s gone out and bought as much take out as she can carry from several of the places that Kara frequents including her favourite Italian and Chinese places. A light tap at the door just before seven sends her heart beating furiously as she looks and can’t help but smile as Kara stands at the door, grinning.

“I got your note,” Kara says, said note held up in her hand, before she walks in and takes a seat, Lena inwardly glad how relaxed Kara is around her and in her office now.

“Hi,” Lena smiles, unsure what else to say now that Kara is here, she’s feels extra nervous around her today.

“Are you planning on inviting the rest of the office for dinner?” Kara jokes, echoing Lena’s words from their first dinner together, gesturing to the food piled on Lena’s desk.

Lena laughs, “I knew you’d be hungry and I didn’t know what you felt like so I got a bit of everything.”

They’re part way through their dinner when Lena sees Kara grow serious, "can I ask you something? "

Lena nods her consent.

"You've worked here for the past five years and everyone's said you never had any friends. Until me that is."

“Was there a question in that?”

“I was just wondering why? Or why me?”

Lena pauses, wondering if she should tell the truth, but she's come this far, now desperately wants to keep Kara's friendship, so she goes for it, "when I was younger, as a Luthor, I learnt that being guarded was the best way to protect myself. I could never tell if people were being genuine with me, just using me or people just didn’t like me because I was a Luthor so keeping to myself became the best option to not get hurt.” Lena pauses, how much should she say about why she wants to be friends with Kara? “But then you came along and were so friendly and nice and I started questioning why I was still keeping my distance from people. And then you just didn’t give up, were still nice to me when there was nothing for you to gain in return and so I thought that maybe just this once having a friend wouldn’t be so bad.”

Kara frowns and reaches over the desk, settles her hand over Lena’s, “I’m sorry people treated you that way, it must’ve been so lonely.”

Lena smiles, her hand tingling where Kara’s hand is resting on hers, “it’s not so bad anymore.”

Kara smiles too and Lena is disappointed when Kara moves her hand away but is relieved when she steers the conversation to a lighter topic, that was enough sharing for one evening.

Kara looks confused when Lena gets up part way through their conversation but then she actually gasps and Lena laughs when Lena pulls two desserts from the fridge in the corner of the room.

“I thought you might like these,” Lena says, placing a large chocolate dessert in front of Kara.

Kara grins at her, “you know me so well.”

Lena likes that thought a lot.

xxx

They're lingering at Lena's door when it’s time for Kara to leave, they’ve been talking for hours, but she doesn’t want the night to be over just yet and it seems like Kara feels the same way.

Kara gestures to the pile of empty takeout boxes littering Lena's desk, "Thanks again for this."

"You've bought me dinner enough times, it was time to return the favour." Lena sees Kara frown, realises that maybe Kara thought that was all this was, even after everything she’s said tonight, was just a repayment for all the food Kara has brought her. "But I did it because I like spending time with you, you're the first real friend I've had in a long time."

A smile blooms across Kara's face and Lena feels her knees go weak at the sight. She's so beautiful. "I'm glad you chose me to be that friend then."

Lena laughs, "I didn't really have a choice, you're too friendly and likeable, I didn't stand a chance in resisting you."

Kara blushes and Lena can’t help but think again how bad it is that’s she’s developed feelings for her first true friend, she doesn’t want anything to ruin it.

They’re just standing there now, looking at each other and Lena feels like she should say something to break the tension that seems to be building between them but she doesn’t know what.

“I should go,” Kara finally says and Lena can’t help the disappoint that bubbles up inside her, she wishes she was brave enough to tell Kara how she actually feels  but knows she can’t anyway, can’t do anything that could risk what they currently have between them.

“Goodnight,” Lena smiles and Kara bids her goodnight too and turns to leave.

Lena frowns though when Kara has barely taken two steps before she turns back around and stops in front of Lena again.

“Is everything ok?”

Kara bites her lip, seems to consider something, then she must make up her mind about whatever she’s thinking about because before Lena knows what’s happening, Kara steps forward into Lena’s personal space and presses their lips together.

Lena's whole world narrows down to that single touch and she freezes, doesn't know what to do, can't make her body respond, not because this is her first kiss but because Kara Danvers is the one kissing her.

This is what a kiss is meant to feel like. This is what love feels like.

The kiss doesn't last long before Kara's moving back, Lena still frozen.

After a few moments silence, Kara’s hesitant voice fills the silence, "should I not have done that?"

Lena shakes her head, Kara's voice having snapped her out of her shocked state. She can't find her words though, doesn't know what to say. She knows what she wants to do though.

Lena moves slowly, giving Kara time to stop her if she wants to. Her hands move up to settle gently on Kara’s cheeks, lets out a sigh of relief when Kara leans into the contact. Kara’s watching her intently and Lena can tell she's waiting for her to make the next move after she made the first one. That's how their whole relationship has been, Kara making a move and then Lena eventually responding. This time though, she's not going to wait weeks to respond because now that she's felt Kara's lips on her own, she knows she can't wait another moment.

Lena presses their lips back together, no longer frozen as they move against each other, Kara’s hands gripping Lena’s shirt to hold her close.

Lena pulls away, but not too far, forehead pressed against Kara’s, “do you want to have dinner with me?” Kara’s been taking the lead so far in this relationship so it’s her turn to step up and show she really does want this too.

“We just had dinner,” Kara reminds her.

Lena brushes her lips against Kara’s again, “a real date, tomorrow night.”

“I’d love to.”

Lena pulls back completely so she can look at Kara properly, “really?”

“Really,” Kara nods, leaning back in to press another kiss to Lena’s lips.

When they eventually pull apart again they’re both breathless and grinning.

“I really do need to go now,” Kara says and despite the fact that Lena really doesn’t want her too, it’s close to midnight now and they both have work tomorrow.

Lena presses her lips back to Kara’s briefly, just because she can now, “I know.”

“You leaving soon?”

“Yeah, just a few things left to do then I’ll go too.”

Kara presses her lips back to Lena’s for a lingering kiss, “don’t stay here too late.”

“I won’t,” Lena promises, “I’ve got a hot date tomorrow night so I need a good night’s sleep.”

Lena winks and Kara blushes. Lena can’t help but reach out and brush her thumb against Kara’s cheek, feels the heated skin beneath her touch.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lena says when Kara makes no move to leave and she can’t help but lean forward and place one last kiss on Kara’s lips.

“Goodnight.”

Lena watches Kara go, a smile on her face as she wonders how she got so lucky, thinks maybe life dealt her a good hand after all. Because this right here, this wonderful woman who’s found her way into Lena’s heart, makes up for all the loneliness she’s endured in her life because right now, she’s never been happier.

The next day at work, Lena has to try really hard not to grin when she sees Kara and thinks about everything that’s changed between them. There’s already enough rumours going around about them, their colleagues really don’t need to know that they’re actually dating just yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of people asked for it so here it is, Kara's POV of the previous chapter featuring some new scenes.

Kara bounces with excitement as she enters Smoak Technologies on the first day of her new job. She smiles warmly at everyone she greets, already feeling welcome when they smile back and welcome her to the company. She’s excited. This isn’t exactly the job she wants but it’s a stepping stone and she can’t wait to see where it takes her.

It's halfway through the day though when she first sees her, the one woman who doesn't return her friendly smile but gives her a look, ice in her glare. Kara's smile almost falters but she keeps it in place, her friendly nature getting the best of her.

"Who was that?" she asks Deb, the lady whose cubicle is next to her own and has been showing Kara around the office.

"Who?"

Kara nods back in the direction they've just come from, "the woman who looked like she was trying to kill me with her mind. Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, Lena Luthor, don't worry about her, she's always like that. She keeps to herself, doesn't talk to anyone unless it's work related. And besides, she’s a Luthor, nobody wants to be friends with her anyway."

Kara casts her eyes back down the hallway, the woman in question now gone from sight but she can't help but wonder about her.

xxx

"Why do you still bother trying to be nice to her, she never smiles back."

Kara shrugs, "I smile at everyone."

"Yeah but she never even smiles back," Dan from accounting says, referring to the indifferent stare Kara had received when she'd smiled at Lena yet again and had received nothing in return.

"Why does it matter?" Kara asks, getting annoyed at Dan's questions. He's been hanging around her a lot in the last few days, being extra nice to her, and Kara is just too polite to tell him to leave her alone.

Dan laughs, "I bet you can't get her to smile back at you, I'll buy you dinner if you do."

Kara's not about to bet on a coworker like that and she doesn’t like that he’s trying to trick her into a date so suddenly the politeness and friendliness she's shown him in the late few days vanishes, "you do realise that's an actual person you're betting on. And now if you don't mind, I have work to do." There is a hint of ice in her tone and Dan seems to realise he's overstepped and leaves her cubicle.

It’s been at month now since she’s arrived at Smoak Technologies and Kara she loves her job. Well, that's a lie, but she loves the people, has met several people she's become close with including Winn, a guy from the IT department. (Clearly Dan is not one of those people). But the one person she can't figure out (or forget about) is Lena. Kara would have usually given up by now, stopped the polite smile and "hello" if she was receiving nothing in return. Even her friendliness has its limit. But she can't stop, and she doesn't want to either. Not because of a bet one of her colleagues has made, but because she's genuinely a nice person and likes to think that maybe Lena does appreciate her friendliness, even if she doesn't show it. (And she’s curious about her, can’t seem to quite get her off her mind).

xxx

Kara’s lets out a frustrated huff as she deletes the sentence she’s been working on and goes back to her notes. Four hours she’s been working on this stupid email, four whole hours of time wasted and she’s getting nowhere.

“Just go talk to one of the lawyers,” Deb says, seeing the hopeless look on Kara’s face. Her boss had suggested that an hour ago when she’d asked him for help but Kara didn’t want to do that. She knew she had five lawyers to choose from and four of them were men, all of whom had hit on her since she’s been here, one of them being at least twice her age. She really didn’t want to have to deal with men like that, even if it meant her work would be much easier.

That left Lena she could ask but that made her even more nervous than the prospect of talking to one of the guys, she just couldn’t figure out why that could be. She figured the reason for those nerves is if she spoke to Lena and Lena was horrible to her, then the idea that she was a actually a nice person under her stares would be destroyed. She didn’t want everyone else in the office to be right about her.

One last look at the work in front of her and she sighed again, there really is nothing else she could do but ask for help, is there?

With slightly shaking hands, Kara makes her way across the building to where she knows Lena’s office is. She stops a few feet shy of the open door, adjusts her glasses, takes a deep breath, then takes the last few steps that put her in Lena’s doorway "Miss Luthor?"

"Can I help you?" Lena asks, voice strong, and Kara tries to calm her nerves as she takes in the woman sitting at the desk, her back is straight, her face a mask showing no emotions and Kara’s suddenly second guessing herself, intimidated by the authority she seems to have even though she’s technically at the same level in the company, even if she gets paid way more than Kara.

Kara realises she’s twisting her fingers together thanks to her nerves and she drops them back to her side and she’s surprised her voice doesn’t waver as she speaks, "yes, actually. I was wondering if I could ask you a favour."

Lena nods her head and Kara takes that as permission to continue, "I heard you're the best lawyer here and I have to send an email but I don't understand some of the legal stuff I have to put in it. I was wondering if you could take a look at it for me?"

Kara can tell she looks desperate, the thought of the email making her momentarily forget her nerves as she looks hopefully at Lena. She can see Lena thinking about it and she looks at her, a smile on Kara’s face. Lena hasn’t said no yet and Kara takes that as a good sign.

"Send it to me and I'll look over it and send it back soon."

Kara can feel the grin that spreads across her face at Lena’s response, is relieved not only that she’s going to get some help, but that Lena actually agreed to help her in the first place. People have said that Lena is unfriendly and unkind but that’s not the words she’d use to describe the woman she just spoke to. She’s not even sure why she cares but it makes her heart beat a little bit faster at the thought that everyone could be wrong about her.

“Thank you so much.”

Lena just nods her head in reply and Kara takes that as a dismissal but she can’t stop smiling as she makes her way to her desk.

Less than half an hour after Kara had emailed her, she gets a reply. The email has been edited and fixed for her along with notes that help Kara understand the legal jargon that she’d been struggling with. She doesn’t have to do anything now but copy it and send it to its intended recipient.

The next morning Kara is getting breakfast on the way to work and she sees some delicious looking cupcakes at the café and decides to buy an extra one for Lena, as a thank you for helping her. It takes her until the afternoon to gather the courage to give it to her but after finding her office empty, she checks the cafeteria too. She’s noticed that some days Lena has lunch later than everyone else.

Kara is relieved when she spots Lena at a table by herself and makes her way over to her. She stops at her side and her mind goes blank, can’t think of a single thing to say so instead she just shoves the cupcake onto the table in front of Lena.

Kara breathes through her nerves, forces herself to smile and finally the words that she’d originally planned to say come out, “thanks for yesterday, you really helped me out.”

She looks down at Lena for a moment, can’t get a read on her face as she just stares up at her. She realises she’s not going to say anything so Kara smiles again and leaves, heart pounding in her chest as she walks away. What is wrong with her, what is it about Lena that turns her into a pile of nerves? She’s talked to pretty woman before, why is she now having so much trouble around Lena?

Kara sees her around the office later that afternoon as she’s on her way to the file room and her breath catches in her throat when Lena tentatively smiles at her. Kara can’t stop the grin the spreads across her face in return.

The next time they see each other, it happens again. Lena smiles at her and Kara feels like she’s floating. It happens again and again and Kara can’t figure out why she only smiles at her but she’ll take it. The way Lena’s lips curve up and her eyes brighten make her look forward to coming to work every morning.

xxx

“Admit it, you like her.”

“I do not.”

“Then why were you just staring at her as she was talking to Bill?”

Kara quickly looks around, hoping no one can hear them, she doesn’t want rumours spreading around the office, especially ones that could get back to Lena, “I was not.”

Winn gives her a look.

“I wasn’t staring! I was just trying to figure her out.” She pauses, “have you noticed she only ever smiles at me?”

Winn gives her another look, “everyone has noticed.”

She blushes. Kara’s voice is soft though as she speaks, “I can’t figure out why though.” It’s something she’s been thinking about a lot, every time Lena smiles at her, she wonders why.

Winn grins and nudges her shoulder, “maybe she likes you.”

“I don’t even know if we’re friends,” Kara admits. That’s something else she’s been thinking about a lot. There have been lots of smiles since Lena had helped her but they hadn’t talked since then.

“You’re not going to figure that out by checking her out from a distance.”

“I was not checking her out!” _I wasn’t,_ she says again to herself. There’s just something different about Lena, something that’s drawing Kara to her and she’s just curious about what that is, wonders what makes Lena so different from anyone else in the building.

“Fine, but you’re still not going to figure it out from a distance, go talk to her!”

So Kara takes Winn’s advice and does just that. It may take her two weeks to gain the courage but she’s here now and that’s what matters. Originally she’d planned to just catch Lena on a break or stop by her office to say hi. And she would’ve done that too if she wasn’t about to leave the office now after working late and seeing that Lena is still here.

Kara’s at her door and knocking with a bag of food before she can lose her nerve.

“Kara?”

“Miss Luthor, hi, umm…” Dammit. Maybe she should’ve planned what she was going to say. Maybe this was why they never spoke? Because she found it so hard to form words around her. “Well I was working late and I saw your light on and I thought you might be hungry.” She holds up a bag of takeout as proof of her statement.

Kara relaxes when Lena smiles and gestures her into the office.

"Are you planning on inviting the rest of the office for dinner?"

Kara blushes when she realises Lena’s talking about the amount of food Kara has brought with her, "I was hungry."

Her embarrassment turns into something else when Lena laughs and Kara’s not sure she’s ever heard something so beautiful before. Wait, what? Kara pushes that thought from her mind when she realises it means that Lena was joking and she’s back to smiling again.

“It’s Lena by the way,” Lena says as Kara sits opposite her, “if you’re buying me dinner I think you can call me by my first name too.”

Kara’s blushing yet again at Lena’s words and they haven’t even been talking for five minutes but Kara’s beginning to think that maybe her feelings for Lena run a bit deeper than just colleagues or even just friendship. But if they did it was just a harmless crush and Kara wasn’t going to let that stop her from potentially becoming friends with this woman.

“Lena it is then.” The smile that Lena sends her actually knocks the breath from her lungs. Maybe this friendship thing was going to be a bit harder than she thought.

“I hope you like Chinese,” Kara says as she gets the food out. Lena hasn’t said anything else and she feels the need to fill the silence.

Kara relaxes even more when she sees Lena smile again, “it’s perfect.”

They fall into silence as they begin to eat, Kara desperately searching for something to say. The whole reason she’s here is to get to know Lena better and she’s already failing miserably at that. She’s relieved when Lena breaks the silence.

“So, how do you like your job? You’ve been here a couple of months now, right?”

“It’s good,” Kara replies. That’s her immediate response whenever anyone asks about her job. But when Lena gives her a look, Kara knows she’s been caught out.

“Ok, the job sucks,” Kara laughs, “but I’ve met some really nice people so it’s not all bad.” As she says this she makes eye contact with Lena and she immediately looks away, a blush staining her cheeks.

“What about Snapper?”

Kara groans, Snapper is her boss and she’s really not a fan. “He’s the reason I’m working late. He stopped by my desk at five to five, dropped a big file on it then told me to finish it before I left. But I guess I should thank him now since it means I get to have dinner with you.” Kara knows her cheeks are red again but she can’t look away as Lena smiles.

Kara’s heart flutters at the thought that Lena is smiling because of her and from then on she decides that she’s going to make a habit of stopping by to have dinner with Lena.

And she does, once or twice a week, she leaves work on time only to return an hour or two later with a bag full of food and a smile for Lena.

Kara notices as time goes on, Lena becomes friendlier with her around the office. There are more smiles and more “hellos” and Kara’s glad that they’re actually becoming friends.

She sees Lena in the cafeteria one day and decides that she’s going to sit with her. They’ve had dinner a few times now and so she hopes Lena won’t mind having lunch with her too. Besides, she needs advice on something and Lena may be able to help.

Kara smiles as she takes the seat beside Lena. She sees Lena’s eating a bag of chips and can’t help but reach over and grab one. She’d eaten lunch at her desk earlier but is still hungry, she hopes Lena doesn’t mind.

"Hi," she says brightly, "I need your help."

Kara reaches over and grabs another chip, this time talking with her mouth full, "Winn's birthday is coming up, and I'm usually really good with gifts but I'm struggling with ideas on what to get him, any thoughts?"

Kara notices that Lena seems surprised but can’t figure out why her question would garner that reaction.

“That's what you want help with?"

"Is that ok?" Kara asks and she’s suddenly unsure of herself. Now she’s worried, maybe they’re not as good friends as she thought? And she’s just stolen some of Lena’s lunch. Kara’s pulse quickens as she starts to panic, tries to think of an excuse she could make to leave. Lena’s voice cuts through her nervous thoughts.

"Of course," Lena reassures her, "I just assumed it would be work related." 

Kara relaxes, realises she may have overreacted a bit. She just really wants them to be friends, ok?

They talk some more, Kara realising she’s probably asking the wrong person when she finds out Lena isn’t sure who Winn is. She makes a mental note to introduce them sometime. Although she’s not sure how Winn would take that. He seems scared of her plus he still isn’t over the fact that she’s friends with a Luthor. Kara has heard stories about Lena’s family but she knows she’s nothing like them

It’s only as they get up to leave twenty minutes later when Lena has finished her lunch that Kara notices that they’ve drawn the attention of the others in the cafeteria. They’re whispering and some are pointing, not even hiding what they’re talking about. Lena ignores them all so Kara does too.

xxx

 Kara groans as she sneezes for about the tenth time and grabs yet another tissue to wipe her nose.

“Go home.” Winn nudges her with a pen, “you’re sick.”

“I am not,” Kara protests.

“You are.”

“Am not.”

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t try.” He leaves and Kara is thankful, she has lots of work to do. And the quicker she gets it done, the quicker she can go home to bed.

"Kara, go home, you're sick." Kara looks up in surprise, she’s expecting those words again but she didn’t expect who they’d come from. Despite feeling awful, Kara smiles. Just the fact that Lena is here telling her to go home means she cares.

"Am not,” Kara says again but her voice sounds awful so she cringes, doesn’t want Lena to see her like this.

"Your answer would be a lot more believable if you're voice wasn't so croaky."

Kara sneezes again.

Lena laugh makes her feel just a bit better, "and if you hadn't just done that."

"I'm fine," Kara tries to say again, she really has to get her work and she doesn’t feel _that_ bad.

"No, you're not, you need to go home and rest.” Kara protests again but it doesn’t dissuade Lena.  “No, I’m taking you home.”

The look in Lena’s eyes tells Kara there’s no point in arguing. Her heart flutters at the fact that Lena is here in the first place arguing with her about going home. Her face feels warm, like she’s blushing, or is that just her cold?

Lena helps her up and grabs her things, tells her boss she’s taking her home then they leave together. Lena walks them over to her car and Kara is surprised that Lena’s actually going to drive her home herself. She tries to protest again but Lena doesn’t back down.

"We're friends Kara and I'm going to take you home and make sure you're ok."

Kara’s mind screeches to a halt. Did Lena just say friend? Did Lena just say they were friends? That’s the first time the term has been used to describe their relationship and Kara’s sure she’d jump for joy if she wasn’t feeling so unwell. It’s not where she wants their relationship to be, but it’s a start.

Kara smiles and nods, ok to let Lena take care of her now, it’s what friends do for each other, right?

Lena walks Kara to her door, tells her to call her if she needs anything. Kara can’t help by smile again, wishing that the people at the office could see this side of Lena, wants them to know she’s kind and not at all like they think she is. Lena waits until she can’t see Lena anymore before she goes inside, straight over to the couch. She sends a quick text to Alex then, exhausted, she falls quickly asleep.

A few hours later, Kara is woken from her nap to find her sister coming through the door, soup in one hand and more tissues in the other.

“Thanks,” Kara says as she sits up slowly as Alex moves to the kitchen to heat up the soup she’s brought.

“So, Lena Luthor dropped you home?” The brief message she’d sent Alex had told her that she’d come home from work sick. She couldn’t help but add that detail, the thought made her giddy.

Kara can’t help but smile again, “yes.” Her voice is croaky but she wants to tell her sister this, has already told her about her crush on her colleague which has clearly developed into a lot more than that now. The feelings had snuck up on her during their time together but they’re definitely hitting her full force now and she has to tell someone. “She came to my desk and told me to go home, refused to take no for an answer. And then she offered to drive me home, even walked me to the door.”

Alex laughs, “you’ve got it bad.”

Kara blushes but she keeps talking anyway, “she called us friends.”

“Do you think she likes you as more than friends?” Alex asks as she puts the soup she’s heated up on the coffee table and sits next to Kara.

Kara groans, “I don’t know, she’s so hard to read.”

“But you’re her only friend, right?”

Kara nods.

“Well that has to mean something.”

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just the first person to be nice to her, you know she’s not very popular at work.” It’s something Kara has thought about a lot, why of all people Lena has chosen to be friends with her.

“My advice, talk to her.”

Kara pulls a face, she gets nervous enough around her as it is, “I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Now, sorry, I’ve got to run, I need to get back to work. But Maggie’s said she’ll drop by on the way home to check on you.”

Kara nods and smiles at her sister, “thank you.”

“Call if you need anything, ok?” Alex kisses her own hand then presses it to Kara’s forehead. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

When Kara goes back to work three days later, she stops by the bakery she knows Lena likes and gets her a cupcake to say thank you. Kara’s disappointed when Lena isn’t in her office when she goes to give it to her. She leaves it on her desk anyway, writing a quick note to let Lena know it was from her.

**Thanks. K**

Kara smiles as she leaves the office, hopes the cupcake and note brighten Lena’s day when she sees it.

xxx

Their friendship has been slowly moving forward, more dinner together, more small talks around the office and while Kara is ok just being friends with Lena, every day she finds herself wanting more and she doesn’t know what to do about it. She’s pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, wanting to be there just as a friend for Lena as it was clear she didn’t have many (if any) of them.

But with every passing day, every warm smile, Kara finds herself imagining what it would be like if they were more than friends, wonders if Lena feels it too.

Lena is on Kara’s mind yet again as she’s walking back to her cubicle after lunch one day and there she finds, on her desk, a note from Lena.

**Dinner. My office. 7pm. L**

Kara’s heart is racing as she reads it for a second then a third time. Lena wants to have dinner with her? Ok, so dinner is a regular thing for them, but it’s always Kara buying it, and it’s never planned between them. This though, this is an invitation to have dinner with her and Kara can’t help but think about what it could mean. At the very least it means that Lena enjoys their dinners together, she wouldn’t invite her to another one if she didn’t. At the most is could be a date, and just that thought sends butterflies fluttering in Kara’s stomach.

She takes the note and quickly makes her way over to Winn’s office, she needs to talk to someone about this. She’s glad that when she gets there, he’s alone, and she quickly shuts the door.

Winn looks up at her, wondering why she looks so flustered as she sits down.

“Look.” She waves the note in his face and he takes it.

It doesn’t take him long to figure out what it means, “Lena’s invited you to dinner?”

Kara nods vigoriously.

“So?”

“So, Winn, what if she means it to be a date?” Her voice squeaks but she doesn’t care, he knows about her crush on Lena.

Winn laughs, “I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“It is.” Kara huffs out a breath, wondering how she can explain what she’s feeling. “I like her, I really like her but I don’t know how she feels about me.”

“Talk to her?”

“That was Alex’s advice, but what if she doesn’t feel the same back? I don’t want to ruin the friendship that we have.” That was what it all came down to. She had feelings for Lena, but she doesn’t want said feelings to ruin what they already have, Lena is too important to her.

Winn shakes his head, he’s been listening to Kara talk about Lena as her feelings grew for her for months. “See how tonight goes then? She’s invited you to dinner, that’s different to your usual dinner, that must mean something?”

Kara takes a deep breath and nods, “ok.” She smiles at Winn, “thanks.”

By the time 7pm rolls around Kara is a nervous wreck but she takes deep calming breaths as she approaches Lena’s office. With the note in hand, she takes one last breath and she hopes her nerves don’t show as she steps up to Lena’s office, lightly tapping on the open door.

“I got your note,” Kara grins, holding up the note as she walks into the office and takes a seat. Maybe if she acts like she’s relaxed, her heart will follow and stop trying to escape her chest with how fast it’s beating.

“Hi,” Lena says and with one look at her smile, Kara actually does start to feel herself relax. She reminds herself that they’re friends and they’ve had dinner before and there’s really nothing to worry about.

Kara sees all the food that is sitting on Lena’s desk and can’t help but repeat the words back to Lena that she said all those months ago. “Are you planning on inviting the rest of the office for dinner?”

Lena laughs, and Kara begins to wonder why she was so worried in the first place when being around Lena is so easy now. “I knew you’d be hungry and I didn’t know what you felt like so I got a bit of everything.”

Kara grins, “you certainly know how to impress a woman.” She blushes when she realises what she’s said but then she sees Lena bushing too and realises it might not be that bad after all.

“Wait until you see what I’ve gotten us for dessert.” Lena laughs at the way Kara’s eyes light up, “but it’s a surprise so you’re going to have to wait until later.”

Kara pouts and Lena laughs.

Kara’s really not sure why she’d been worried before dinner. Sure, there’s a lot more feelings in the mix than there was during their earlier dinners together but that doesn’t change how easy it is for her to talk to Lena, how well they get along, if anything, it helps.

Kara decides that since their meal is going so well, she wants to ask Lena about something she’s been thinking about for a while. She just hopes the change in conversation doesn’t ruin how well it’s going. She wants to asks Lena about why she hasn’t had any friends before at work even though she’s been here for five years now, why she’s had no friends apart from Kara.

And so Kara does. And she’s surprised at the answer. She’d thought it was everyone else not wanting to be friends with her, and that’s partly true, but Lena tells her that she was protecting herself too, it was the easiest way not to get hurt. She could never tell if people were being genuine with her so she stopped trying and cut herself off from everyone.

Kara’s heart is beating rapidly in her chest when Lena explains why she’s friends with her, that she was so nice and friendly, that Kara made question her decision to be alone, made her wonder if having a friend would be so bad after all.

Kara frowns and can’t help but reached over the desk as Lena finishes talking, settles her hand over Lena’s, “I’m sorry people treated you that way, it must’ve been so lonely.”

Lena smiles and Kara breathes easier just seeing the sadness disappear from her eyes as she looks at her, “it’s not so bad anymore.”

They stare at each other for a moment, Kara smiling back at her and then Kara realises that she still has her hand on Lena’s. She removes it quickly and places it back in front of her and she misses the contact immediately.

When Lena gets up not long after that, Kara is momentarily confused before she realises what she’s doing. She’s getting their dessert. Kara grins at the sight of the large chocolate dessert Lena places in front of her. Kara can’t help but think about how well Lena actually knows her and she tells her as much as she takes a big bite of the dessert and it’s delicious.

They’re finishing their food all too soon and as much as Kara doesn’t want tonight to be over, she knows she has to leave soon. It seems like Lena feels the same way as they slowly clean away the mess they made. When there’s nothing left to do, they slowly make their way to the door and Kara can’t help but wonder what could happen, tonight doesn’t feel like an ordinary dinner night. Something feels different between them and she thinks Lena can feel it too.

Kara makes more conversation, hoping to prolong the inevitability of her leaving, wonders if they talk for a bit longer if she can gather the courage she needs to finally kiss Lena.

“Thanks again for this."

"You've bought me dinner enough times, it was time to return the favour." Kara’s thoughts stop, was that all this was? A way to pay her back for all the times Kara has bought her food. But no, that can’t be right, she’s sure there’s more to dinner tonight than just that. Lena’s next words confirm that. "But I did it because I like spending time with you, you're the first real friend I've had in a long time."

Kara grins, she can’t help it, because if nothing else she knows for sure that Lena likes spending time with her and whatever happens tonight, that won’t change, "I'm glad you chose me to be that friend then."

Lena laughs, "I didn't really have a choice, you're too friendly and likeable, I didn't stand a chance in resisting you."

Kara blushes and she can do nothing but stare at Lena, thinks right now would be the perfect time to kiss her. They’re standing in her office where they first officially met, they’ve just had dinner, which is sort of their thing, and Lena is looking so open and beautiful that Kara is struggling to breathe.

“I should go,” Kara finally says, breaking the moment. She inwardly groans, why did her courage have to desert her now?

They bid each other goodnight but Kara isn’t really paying attention, all she can think about is the small gap she needs to close to kiss Lena. But then her legs are moving and she’s walking away and Kara’s so disappointed in herself that she could cry. There was the perfect opportunity to kiss Lena and she’s missed it. What if Lena was hoping for a kiss? What if Lena now thinks she’s not interested? What if Lena just wants to be her friend, as she said before, she’s her only one? Kara pauses and pushes that last thought from her mind. No, she’d seen the way Lena was looking at her, she’s sure she wants this too. So what’s stopping them? Kara turns around and before her courage can desert her again, she steps back in front of Lena who is still at her door, watching her.

Lena frowns, “is everything ok?”

Kara bites her lip, but she’s come this far, she can’t stop now, so she steps forward, closes the small space that’s left between them, and just goes for it.

I’m kissing Lena! That’s all Kara can think as her lips press against Lena’s and the rest of the world melts away. It’s just a simple press of lips but Kara has never felt this much from a kiss before. And she knows why that is, because she’s in love with Lena and that just makes this mean so much more.

The kiss is short as Kara realises that Lena is frozen beneath her lips. Kara pulls back quickly, tries to get a read on Lena but she can’t, she just looks shocked. After a few moments of silence Kara can’t take it anymore, "should I not have done that?"

Lena shakes her head and Kara’s not sure exactly what that means and she can only watch as Lena’s hands move to settle on Kara’s cheeks. Kara leans into the touch, reveals in the soft feel of Lena’s hands as they gently cup her face. She knows what’s coming now and doesn’t stop Lena as she moves forward and presses their lips back together.

Kara’s hands move to Lena’s shirt, need something to hold on to, she needs to hold her close as Lena’s lips move against hers and this is even better than their first kiss.

Lena pulls away first and Kara groans at the loss of contact, wants nothing more than to continue kissing Lena, continue getting to know her in this new way. Luckily Lena doesn’t move too far as she presses their foreheads together, “do you want to have dinner with me?” The words are whispered against Kara’s lips and she shivers at the contact.

“We just had dinner,” Kara reminds her, forcing herself to hold back and not kiss her again. Her mind is foggy though, she can feel Lena’s breath on her face and it’s making it hard to concentrate on anything else.

Lena brushes her lips against Kara’s again, “a real date, tomorrow night.”

Kara’s heart is beating wildly in her chest, so loud that Lena can probably hear it. But she doesn’t care if she can hear it, she wants Lena to know exactly how she makes her feel. “I’d love to.”

Lena pulls back completely, Kara missing to contact immediately, “really?”

“Really,” Kara nods, and now just because she can she leans back in to kiss to Lena again. She’d intended the kiss to be a quick press of lips again but they get carried away. Kara wraps her arms around Lena to hold her even closer and she moans when she feels Lena trace her lower lip with her tongue.

Kara eventually manages to pull away, knowing if they let things go much further, she won’t be able to stop herself from acting on the thoughts she’s currently having. They’re both breathless and grinning and Kara loves how disheveled she’s made Lena look.

“That’s a good look on you,” Lena says and Kara laughs, speaking the words that Kara had been thinking. Lena runs her thumb over Kara’s bottom lip, pulls it back to show the lipstick that Lena had left there. Kara can’t help but grin, she loves the fact that there’s some evidence on her of what just happened between them.

Despite not wanting to leave, Kara knows she has to, it’s late and Lena still has work to do.

Lena reaches out, like she can’t help herself, and brushes her thumb along Kara’s cheek. Lena leans in and places a final kiss on Kara’s lips.

“Goodnight.”

As much as she doesn’t want to, Kara finally turns and leaves, her lips still tingling from the contact. She honesty can’t believe how her night has turned out. She went into dinner hoping her feelings were returned and came out of it with a heated make out session in Lena’s office doorway and the knowledge that despite all odds, Lena feels the same way. She’s already counting down the hours until she can see her again tomorrow, until their date tomorrow night.

Instead of going home, Kara heads over to Alex’s place, knows she’s too wired to sit alone at home right now. Plus, she really wants to tell her sister about the night she’s just had.

Alex takes one look at her when she opens the door, takes in the messy hair, the dazed look in her eyes and the slightly red lips from where Kara hadn’t been able to remove all of Lena’s lipstick and she knows exactly what’s happened. Alex grabs her sisters arm, pulls her through the door with a grin on her face, “tell me everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? I hope you enjoyed this version of events.
> 
> Tumblr: spaceman-earthgirl


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